The Truth About Belly Fat

 The definition of belly fat might sound obvious—it's clearly the fat that sits around your middle, right? Well, not quite. There are 2 types of fat. White fat and brown fat, one is called Visceral Fat, that's the one that doctors are concerned about.

While belly fat (also known as visceral fat) resides around your midsection, it goes deeper than just below the skin. It pads your intestines and other vital organs, Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, professor and chair of nutrition and food studies in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., told Health.

"The reason it's different than other forms of fat is because it's more metabolically active. It gets into the bloodstream faster than the stuff under your skin," said Dr. Cheskin. "Belly fat has a bad influence on blood cholesterol and blood sugar and all the metabolic diseases."

Excessive abdominal fat places you at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. You may have a higher risk of developing obesity-related conditions if your waist circumference is more than 40 or 35 inches for men and non-pregnant women, respectively.1

But belly fat can be independent of overall body fat. In other words, someone who's not overweight could still have a lot of excess fat around their waist. Also, it's normal to carry some weight around your middle. But if you want to trim it down, here are a few things you can do.

Belly Fat Naturally Increases as You Age

As you get older, your body changes how it gains and loses weight. People experience a declining metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body needs to function normally. On top of that, menopause further complicates the metabolic process for some people.

"If [cisgender women] gain weight after menopause, it's more likely to be in their bellies," Michael D. Jensen, MD, chair of the Mayo Clinic Obesity Specialty Council in Rochester, Md., told Health. 

In menopause, the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone slows down. Lower estrogen levels may play a role in weight gain after menopause.2

Weight gain may also be caused by metabolism slowing down with age, less-healthful eating habits, and being less active. In addition, you lose muscle mass as you age, so you use fewer calories.

You can't fight aging, but you can adopt lifestyle changes that keep your weight in check. It comes down to exercising more and eating a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

 This Healthy Diet Plan Will Jumpstart Your Weight Loss Goals. According to a Nutritionist

Add More Strength Training

A daily run or spin class is great for your heart, but cardio workouts alone won't do much for your waist. 

"You need to do a combination of weights and cardiovascular training," Sangeeta Kashyap, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic, told Health. 

Strength training increases muscle mass, which may help your body burn more fat, agreed Dr. Cheskin.3

"When you build muscle, you tend to replace fat with that muscle," said Dr. Cheskin.

"Muscle burns more calories than fat. And therefore, you naturally burn more calories throughout the day by having more muscle," added Kate Patton, RD, sports health and preventive cardiology outpatient dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic. Patton recommended 250 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 125 minutes of high-intensity exercise weekly.

Your fitness goal should be to lose belly fat and not just losing weight. Forget the scale and get a tape measure. Your goal should be to lose inches not pounds.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

The Truth About Weight Loss Programs

I’m not going to sugar coat this because losing weight permanently involves getting your body into good physical condition. Most of those who want to lose weight don’t really understand what that means. When it’s been several years since you did any kind of exercise your body will need a lot of work. So where do you start.

You start by walking more, using stairs instead of an elevator for one or two floors, anyway. When you have an 8 hour a day job, it’s not easy to find time but before you get crazy and buy a gym membership you want to be able to speed walk for 30 minutes and feel good when you finish. If you can’t workout for 30 minutes you’ll waste your money on that gym membership.

If speed walking is difficult you want to start out slow and build up speed slowly, over several weeks of walking. Your training your heart for the workouts. Training your heart takes a little time but it essential if your workout is going to help you condition your body. Use a cell phone app to track your steps and try and do 5000 steps twice a day.

I walking in the morning, before work and than once again before bedtime. I walk with my dog. She’s a big dog that loves to walk and fates to go home until she’s tired. If you get to the point were you want to do more and you think your ready for the gym, you can use the trendmills and walk there. But I encourage you to do arm exercises at the gym at least three times a week.

You don’t have to live at the gym to get in shape but you do have to walk everyday. You should do the other exercises every other day. The alternate days walk outside, fresh air is good for your lungs and puts more oxygen in your blood. Exercising indoors even though it's air conditioned you are breathing the same indoor air over and over. That's not as good as outdoor air that's rich in oxygen.

But that’s not all, getting in shape means eating healthy. So what does that mean? For most people it means to forget about all those foods you like and start eating fresh produce, fruits and vegetables. Slow down on the red meat, and that includes Hamburger meat. Eat more white meat chicken and seafood. You only need to eat meat one meal a day. You want to get more protein from plants. You can also make protein shakes with protein powder and Greek yogurt, fruit, Soy milk or Almond Milk.

Your diet, the food and drinks you consume, is 80% of the weight loss process. Exercise is about 20 % of losing weight. You might have noticed your friends if they have lost weight, your body and face becomes thin and weak looking and that’s what you don’t want. What you really want is just to lose fat. Mostly around the waist and hips and you can do that. That’s why you want to exercise. You want to retain your muscle mass and your strength.

Another important part of eating the right way is to consume all your calories for the day in 8 hours and the other 16 hours you fast, no calories for 16 hours straight. The idea is to give your body time to process the food your ate and then because your not eating your body will burn stored fat to keep the body moving and working. So the 16 hours straight with no calories is key to the fat burning process.

Losing body fat is a life changing process. You’ll have to change all your habits and create new healthy habits. But the results for me was worth everything I had to do.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

 Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Quick Weight Loss Usually Means Muscle Loss

This is a great article I found about quick weight loss. This is the way those thin celebs did it. You might think that celebrates know how to drop the extra pounds fast, but in reality, the only pounds you can lose fast are the ones you gain fast. So, if I gain 3 pounds over the weekend, I can lose it in a couple of days following that weekend. If the fat hangs around for a while it becomes hard and is difficult to lose. People that have been overweight for several months or years now have stubborn fat that will take more time to lose.

Don’t stop trying, but you should realize that stubborn fat won’t disappear using a quick weight-loss diet. With a fast diet, you will lose weight, but mostly muscle. So, “What's the difference?” you might ask. First of all, you will weigh less but the fat will still be there. You’re not going to change the way you look. And second, your know going to change the way you feel. And the worst part is the weight will come back. Why, when you lose muscle your body doesn’t burn as many calories. It is a “Catch22″, The more muscle your body has the more calories you burn naturally. You don’t have to do any extra work, your body will just burn to say 2000 calories a day just to maintain the muscle you have, but when your body mass is said 20% fat and less muscle, you're going to burn fewer calories naturally.

I’m sure you’ve heard friends say ” They never workout and their so thin, they eat everything. ” Well, it’s true the less fat you have the more calories your body burns naturally. So it does take a significant lifestyle change to lose body fat permanently.

To lose weight by losing body fat, you have to change what you're eating (get on a better Diet). Yes, you have to count calories, but you don’t have to cut way back. Most people gain weight because they eat more calories than they burn. You eat and drink 3000 calories a day and only burn 2000, guess what, your weight will go up. You do that every day and you will put on weight. 

Even if you exercise an hour a day, and most of us don’t, you only burn an extra 300.  Without that workout the average person with today’s lifestyle burns less than 2000 calories, women normally burn less than men. A typical workout today is good for your heart and helps with circulation but doesn’t burn any fat. You have to spend hours in the gym every day to burn body fat.

The best way to lose body fat is to change your diet, (change the foods you eat). When you eat healthy foods and break the salt and sugar habit, eat fresh then you will lose weight and your body will burn that body fat.

(HealthDay News) — If you lose weight too fast, you lose more muscle than when you shed excess pounds more slowly, a small study says.

The researchers put 25 participants on a five-week very-low-calorie diet of just 500 calories per day. Another 22 volunteers went on a 12-week low-calorie diet of 1,250 calories per day.

The investigators found that right after the end of their diets, both groups had similar levels of weight loss. The average weight loss was a little over 19 pounds among those on the very-low-calorie diet and just under 19 pounds among those on the low-calorie diet.

The researchers then looked at the loss of fat-free mass, which includes all the tissue in the human body, except fat. The major tissues are blood, bones, organs, and muscles. However, the mass of the organs, blood, and bones does not change during dieting. Therefore, changes in fat-free mass during dieting are mainly due to changes in muscle mass.

Participants on the very-low-calorie diet had lost about 3.5 pounds of fat-free mass, compared with 1.3 pounds among those on the low-calorie diet. Fat-free mass accounted for 18 percent of weight loss in the very-low-calorie diet group and 7.7 percent of weight loss in the low-calorie diet group, the study found.

Four weeks after the end of their diets, reductions in fat-free mass averaged 1.8 pounds among those in the very-low-calorie diet group and 0.7 pounds among those in the low-calorie diet group. Fat-free mass accounted for 9.4 percent of weight loss in the very-low-calorie diet group and 2.9 percent of weight loss in the low-calorie diet group, according to the report.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Bulgaria.

“Loss of fat-free mass was higher after rapid than slow diet-induced weight loss with similar total weight loss,” said the study’s authors, Roel Vink and Marleen van Baak, of the School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and colleagues.

However, the authors also pointed out in a meeting news release that muscle loss among people on the very low-calorie diet was likely overestimated immediately after they completed the diet, compared with four weeks later.

This is likely because they had a larger loss of water and glycogen (a natural form of sugar in the body) when they had just completed the diet than four weeks later, the researchers explained.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

I Know All About Over-eating

I know all about eating too much at those family gatherings. I weigh 160 pounds today, but I used to weigh 220 pounds. I know you might think this is a little late to talk about the Holidays, but I’m writing this now because you’re trying to lose the extra pounds after the Holidays and this might remind you of some of the things you did wrong.

In this case, we are talking about Thanksgiving. Around my house or at anyone’s house I know there are two parts to the big feast. First, we eat a huge dinner, sometimes three kinds of meat, two different types of dressing, two types of cranberries, several types of potatoes, and several different vegetables. The idea is that no one, no matter how fuzzy, will go away hungry. There is always something for everyone in unlimited quantities.

Then comes the second part, which usually is about one hour later, “dessert”. This is what everyone has been waiting for. If it’s a big gathering like 10 or 12 or more the whole table will be filled with pies, cakes, chocolate candies, brownies, lemon squares, and other ethnic tricks that we only see once or twice a year. These are times that no one should miss, even if you’re on a diet.

The really bad part of the Holidays is that you might have to eat this meal more than once. We all have large families and you can’t say no to an invitation this time of the year, so what does a person do? You try and sample the things you like but do it in small amounts and remember that you don’t have to finish your plate. Another tip to help you from overindulging is to only eat half of each food on your plate.

Some other tips:

Don’t drink calories, save the calories for food.

Stick to low-calorie desserts, if you can find any

Eat before you go. Don’t go to a party without eating first. The food you eat out may be high in calories, but you’ll eat less if you eat something healthy before you go.

Try and walk after dinner

The average holiday meal can add 5 pounds because you can easily consume 5000 calories when you include the drinks. Do you remember how long it took to lose 5 pounds? It’s easy to add 10 pounds over the Holidays and it can take months to lose it. You’ll be expected to eat and drink so be careful you don’t hate yourself after the season is over.

E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of websites looking for the material you want.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

A Warning about diet Pills

I received this email recently about diet pills. I’ve never been a fan of taking pills but I realize some of us have tried everything possible to lose weight and diet pills were a last resort. And pills should always be a last resort. Pills are a way to introduce another chemical into the body. If there’s any way to get the nutrition you need from food, then that’s what I want. Diet Pills are supposed to curb your appetite and cut the cravings and therefore you lose weight. But with any pill, there are side effects; sometimes you can’t feel the side effect, but your system does feel it. If you want diet pills get them from your doctor and let him put you on a diet to go along with the pills. Your doctor should monitor your progress and talk to him about any effects you're having from the pills.

This article appeared on the internet.

The international police agency Interpol has issued a global alert about an illegal and potentially lethal drug used for dieting and bodybuilding.

The warning concerns “2,4-dinitrophenol” (DNP), a combination of compounds that increases body temperature and metabolic rate. Last month a British woman who’d taken pills containing DNP died. The drug also left a French man seriously ill.

DNP, which is also used as a raw material for explosives, is linked to other deaths too. It’s highly toxic and causes side effects like hot, dry skin, excessive thirst, and an unusually fast heartbeat.

The drug is being sold on the Internet. It’s usually sold in yellow powder or capsule form, but it’s also available as a cream.

Back in the 1930s it was marketed as a weight loss drug.

‘Burning Up From Within’

Eloise Parry died in a hospital after taking tablets she bought online. Police believe they included DNP. Her family had described how “she was literally burning up from within” before her heart stopped.

An Interpol “orange notice,” which warns of imminent threats, has been sent to police in 190 Interpol member countries at the request of the French interior ministry.

The French authorities and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) say they want to draw attention to the growing popularity of DNP as an aid to improving body image and performance, particularly in the bodybuilding world.

The orange notice says the risks are even higher because DNP is usually made in secret laboratories where hygiene conditions may be poor.

“We are appreciative that Interpol has issued this global warning,” says David Howman, director general of WADA. “This is a perfect example of how crucial it is that law enforcement and anti-doping organizations continue to forge closer ties so that dangerous, and potentially fatal, substances such as DNP do not reach the hands of athletes.

This article highlights DNP in particular. The drug has been around for decades and is being used today in diet pills that are sold on the internet. Research any drugs you are buying on a website. Most of these drugs are not made in this country. Other countries have different regulations governing the drug industry so read the ingredients labels and even consult your doctor about any diet pill you want to take. The side effects are more important than any results that you might get.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Cancer And Your Diet

On the Fox TV Network the other night, one of the big stories was about high-protein diets. A new study has shown a link between the overconsumption of animal protein and how it can stimulate the growth of cancer cells.

It seems we all have cancer cells but they don’t normally grow unless we consume too many cancer-causing chemicals from foods or drinks or breathe in pollutants.

Older adults between the ages of 50 to 65 years of age are in that age bracket where cancer cells will grow at their fastest rate. But interestingly enough, after 65 it seems like the body needs animal protein and larger percentages don’t affect the growth of the cancer cells. Now your doctor will tell you there are many other ways to get cancer but the truth is that medical science doesn’t really know.

Older adults and those with a family history of cancer who are under 65 should reduce the amounts of animal protein to a daily amount of less than 10% of total protein intake. Dairy products are animal protein and poultry, beef, and pork. I don’t count fish or other seafood. The best sources are vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.

So how much protein is too much. Well, depending on the size of your frame, and your weight you divide your body weight in half and that’s the number of grams of protein you should have every day. For example, I’m 160 pounds so I need 80 grams of protein a day. A 3 1/2-ounce steak has 80 grams of protein. That’s all the protein you need for an entire day. If you are doing a normal to extreme workout, you’ll need to supplement your protein with a powered supplement like WHEY.

Now, remember what I said about animal protein, in my case I should be consuming less than 10 grams a day of animal protein and consume the rest from plants or fish. Vegetables have protein along with beans and lentils plus fish. The good news is that you won’t go hungry, plant protein and other nutrients from vegetables plus fruit and nuts is a good healthy diet that will reduce your body fat, give you plenty of energy and you won’t have to count calories and weigh yourself every day to lose weight, stay healthy and lower your risk for cancer.

Why do we have so much Cancer in North America? Well, it’s because the average adult consumes more than 20% of their diet in animal protein. That feeds the cancer cells and makes them grow until you develop a tumor.

To reduce your risk of cancer no matter what your weight or how much body fat you have, change your diet, eat healthily, no processed foods and reduce amounts of animal fat and eat more plant protein. A simple all-natural diet and don’t worry about your weight, when you stop eating man-made foods your body fat will disappear. There isn’t anything wrong with good fats, but your body can’t process bad fats. Get a list of the bad fats on most health websites.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

About Beer And Weight Loss

 A reader sent me a note asking if you can drink beer and still lose weight. And my response was “yes” with a but connected. Beer in itself doesn’t add fat to your body. Too Many calories add fat to your body.

When a heavy person in a restaurant or bar is sitting near you drinking beer you might immediately think that they must drink a lot of beer to have a beer belly like that. Not so. Calories are calories and many people overindulge which will cause a beer belly but it’s not always from drinking beer. I used to work with a guy who would drink 6 or 8 cokes daily. I never saw him drink water, he always drank coke.

You might not know it but the average American will drink half their daily calories. They might eat 1800 calories a day and think they're cutting calories but they consume another 1800 or so calories in drinks every day. Cokes, sweet tea, coffee with cream and sugar, and all those designer drinks at the coffee shop all add up, and then if you drink alcohol you can double those drink calories. It’s no secret that most of us consume more calories per day from beverages than from food. Beer, wine, and soft drinks add the most calories.

Any trainer or weight consultant will always encourage a client to stop drinking calories and drink more water. That is some of the best advice I can give anyone trying to lose weight.

I saw someone today running through the park for a workout, but he was seriously overweight. I thought if I could stop the car and talk to him I’d tell him not to run. First, you can’t run off fat when you are too heavy to run. Yes, you can be too heavy to run. Being overweight puts stress on your hips and knees and running will only increase the pressure on those joints and can cause damage.

Walking is a better choice. One hour of extra walking every day will help you lose weight and make you a healthier person. Walking more will lower blood pressure, lower your resting heart rate, and help strengthen your joints.

But if you really want to get in shape you have to change your diet. Start counting calories and count carbs. Depending on your size, 1500 to 1800 calories a day is all you need and only half those calories should be from carbs and those carbs should be from fruits and vegetables and grains. The other half of your daily calories should be from protein and fats from plants. No calories from drinks or processed foods.

When I was pushing myself to lose weight, I would eat all-natural foods. I avoided all processed foods. So what does that mean you might ask. I would eat fruits and vegetables that I could pick from open bins, nothing prepackaged, I stopped drinking dairy, Ns any other drinks that had calories. I only bought fresh-cut meat and poultry, nothing frozen. Seafood is different. I would buy vacuum-packed fish. The Asian markets sell the best seafood in my ar
ea. I never starved. I would consume about 1800 calories a day.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.